Last year, we followed the competing noise levels between Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers fans during the 2010 Stanley Cup finals. NHL.com is keeping track of the ear-splitting volumes of the 2011 Stanley Cup finals as well, so we thought it would be interesting to follow those trends again.

Before we get into the Decibel Meter readings for Game 2 in Vancouver, NHL.com provides some context about how these sound levels would affect your hearing (and comfort) during a game.

Obviously, it became very loud at points in Rogers Arena during Game 2, yet Chicago’s crowd hit higher peaks in both of their games and Philadelphia managed a higher peak in Game 4. That doesn’t mean that they were louder over the long haul, but it might give some credibility to Philly and Chicago as strong hockey markets if they can hang with a Canadian one.

The Canucks crowd’s loudest times provided a stark contrast to some long stretches when it seemed like you could hear a pin drop in Game 2 in Vancouver (or so it seemed on TV, at least). The Vancouver audience seemed substantially subdued when Boston was holding onto a 2-1 lead in the third period, prompting many (myself included) to wonder why they were so rattled when the Canucks were only trailing by a single goal. Obviously, that solemn atmosphere didn’t last forever, especially once Daniel Sedin notched things up by scoring on a yawning net.

It’s quite possible that Vancouver fans were simply terrified that the team might let its best chance to win a first-ever Stanley Cup slip away. That’s an understandable fear and they certainly showed great passion when the Canucks got back into the game (and also showed fantastic spirit when Malhotra completed his courageous comeback).

Please keep in mind that there probably aren’t big differences in these results; ultimately these fan bases are making a ton of noise. That being said, it’s fun to back up (or refute) assumptions about loud crowds with hard numbers. We’ll let you know how the crowds in Boston perform as the Bruins try to fight their way back into this series and we’ll also keep an eye on Vancouver’s crowds if the series stretches to five games or more.